- 2 months ago
How the corrupting influence of drug money is affecting police forces in California, Florida, and New Jersey.
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00:00Frontline is a presentation of the Documentary Consortium.
00:08In Los Angeles today, federal prosecutors introduced this videotape.
00:13It is evidence, they say, of cops stealing drug money.
00:17Seven sheriff's deputies are now on trial in Los Angeles,
00:20charged with stealing $1.4 million in drug money.
00:24More than 30 narcotics officers here have been implicated
00:27in the largest current police corruption scandal in the country.
00:31Everybody must have known about it.
00:32Everybody must have been in on it.
00:34And you can sure imagine that Sobel would like it to look that way
00:38because he's so dirty, he wants everybody to be dirty.
00:43Tonight on Frontline, the story behind that L.A. scandal.
00:48How the war on drugs is corrupting America's cops.
00:52Officers go into hotel rooms and find millions of dollars,
00:55literally, a tremendous temptation.
00:58The FBI calls drugs and drug money the number one threat to police integrity.
01:03Anyone who says, I've never had that problem in my police department
01:08should add the operative word, yet.
01:12Tonight, when cops go bad.
01:15With funding provided by the financial support of viewers like you
01:24and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
01:30this is Frontline.
01:34Frontline.
01:34Frontline.
01:36One summer day in 1985,
01:49a fishing boat called the Merry Sea
01:51slowly made its way up the Miami River.
01:55It was loaded with $12 million worth of cocaine.
01:58In the 1970s,
02:14the Miami River became a major port for smugglers,
02:17importing large quantities of cocaine and marijuana
02:20into the United States.
02:24From the Atlantic Ocean through the city of Miami,
02:27the river is congested with boats from all over the world.
02:32It is a natural place for smugglers to secretly unload illegal drugs.
02:44Three miles up the river,
02:46the Merry Sea docked here at the Jones Boat Yard.
02:49That night, six men started to offload the cocaine into a waiting van.
03:00At 2 o'clock in the morning, something went wrong.
03:04In July 29, 1985, I was assigned to the Homicide Bureau
03:09on a special squad known as Syntac 26.
03:12Our function was to investigate drug-related murders in the Dade County area.
03:16On that afternoon, we were dispatched to the Miami River
03:20where three bodies were observed floating.
03:23On the bodies, detectives discovered beepers, money, and guns.
03:28They suspected it was just another drug deal gone bad.
03:32But the investigation quickly took an unexpected turn.
03:35The night watchman told detectives that a dozen policemen
03:41had raided the boat the night before
03:43and the smugglers had jumped overboard in a panic.
03:47They were afraid either from arrest
03:49or several of the witnesses,
03:52or actually one witness even testified
03:54that the officers had their weapons drawn
03:56and were yelling, kill them, kill them,
03:58as they approached, fearing for their life and their safety.
04:01They jumped into the water.
04:01But when detectives went looking for a police report
04:05on the nighttime raid, they couldn't find one.
04:09Then a witness told them
04:10that 400 kilograms of cocaine had been aboard.
04:14It was now missing.
04:16The suspects in the case were now the cops.
04:20It was obviously a very scary feeling
04:24to find out that there were police officers involved.
04:26That was the last thing in any of us' mind
04:29when we started investigating this case.
04:33The officers under investigation
04:35were all recent recruits of the Miami Police Department.
04:39Mike Exposito, head of internal affairs, worked with them.
04:44Well, you have all types.
04:46You have a person like Rudy Arias,
04:49you know, who was a hard-working policeman.
04:52You know, Estrada was another one
04:53that was a hard-working policeman.
04:55You had your others that weren't as hard-working
04:59and were arrogant.
05:01Your Osvaldo Cuellos,
05:02some of them are very nice people, personally.
05:05I mean, you talk to them and you say,
05:07boy, this is an outstanding young man
05:09if you don't know them.
05:10And others are people that,
05:12you know, you say, you know,
05:13this person is a policeman.
05:15The way this group began
05:19was first they started by stopping
05:21people who looked like drug dealers,
05:23stopping them in their police cars,
05:25pulling them over,
05:26asking them for identification,
05:27searching their car for cash
05:29or large amounts of cash and drugs.
05:33And if they would find any of those two things,
05:34they would eventually steal them
05:36and sell them or keep the cash.
05:38The cops all worked the night shift
05:47in the Little Havana section of Miami.
05:50They paid off the owner of a local bar
05:52to identify drug dealers
05:54for them to shake down.
05:56But they wanted to make more money,
05:58and so they went to the Miami River
06:00and began to rip off
06:02entire boatloads of cocaine.
06:04Depending on what activity
06:07or what incident they were involved in,
06:10we estimate that the most
06:12that any of the officers made
06:13was $2 million,
06:16and the least that any officer made
06:18was slightly over $100,000.
06:20So it varied between $100,000
06:22and $2 million per officer.
06:24They got away with a lot,
06:25not just beginning in 1985,
06:28but from the time,
06:29from years back,
06:31starting from the early 80s,
06:33this was going on.
06:35Clarence Dixon had just been
06:36appointed chief of police.
06:39But this time,
06:41there was a slip-up.
06:43People got killed,
06:44and they left shreddings of evidence
06:47all over the place.
06:50The case of the Miami River cops
06:52would quickly become
06:53one of the biggest and most violent cases
06:55in the annals of police corruption.
07:00Fifteen officers were initially arrested,
07:02convicted,
07:02and sentenced to prison
07:04for up to 35 years.
07:06The FBI entered the case.
07:08The investigation of corruption widened,
07:11and eventually,
07:1280 police officers would be arrested,
07:14convicted,
07:15or disciplined.
07:18At least 10% of the Miami Police Department
07:21was corrupt.
07:23And one of the original Miami River cops,
07:26Armando Garcia,
07:27is still at large today,
07:28one of the FBI's
07:30ten most wanted fugitives.
07:35You were not surprised?
07:37No one was surprised.
07:39Richard Witt was director of training
07:41for the Miami police.
07:42We recognized that many of them
07:46lacked good basic education.
07:50We recognized that many of them
07:52lacked good basic communication skills.
07:56We recognized that few of them
07:59had any personal discipline.
08:02Our reference to them as time bombs
08:04was exactly that.
08:06Sooner or later,
08:08they're going to go off.
08:10We just don't know
08:11which of them are time bombs
08:13or when they're set to go off.
08:18Most of the corrupt cops
08:20were among hundreds of new recruits
08:22who had been hired to combat
08:23an astronomical increase
08:25in violent crime.
08:26By 1980,
08:29Miami had the highest rates
08:30of drug traffic
08:31and murder in the nation.
08:36But the police had not hired
08:37a new recruit in five years.
08:40So when the city finally decided
08:42to beef up the department,
08:43600 new officers
08:45were quickly hired,
08:46doubling the size of the force
08:48in less than two years.
08:49We ended up scraping
08:52the bottom of the barrel
08:53to do that,
08:56to accomplish what
08:58our chief at that time
09:00committed us to.
09:02More than one of them
09:03had backgrounds
09:04for having been gang members
09:07while in high schools.
09:11More than one of them
09:12had been identified
09:15as a former,
09:17by a former employer.
09:19as having committed theft
09:22and other kinds of larceny.
09:24It peaked and ripened
09:26and burst like a blister
09:30all over us.
09:31And it contaminated everyone
09:32in the police department,
09:34the good guys and the bad.
09:38The Miami River Cop scandal
09:40also sounded an ominous warning
09:42for the rest of the nation.
09:44As illegal drugs
09:45spread across the country,
09:47the potential for police corruption
09:48would not be far behind.
09:58Los Angeles,
10:00Southern California
10:01is a distribution point
10:03for narcotics,
10:06cocaine in the United States.
10:07And Washington,
10:09hey Washington,
10:11listen to us.
10:12We need your help.
10:14We need your help.
10:15In September of 1989,
10:19federal agents in Los Angeles
10:21seized 22 tons of cocaine
10:23and more than $12 million in cash.
10:26It was the largest
10:27single drug seizure ever.
10:30With this discovery,
10:32Los Angeles passed Miami
10:33and became the drug trafficking capital
10:36of the United States.
10:37Daryl Gates is the chief
10:39of the Los Angeles police.
10:41Price is going to go up.
10:42I look back 40 years ago
10:45and compare it to what
10:47we are faced with today
10:48and what the police officers
10:49are faced with today
10:50and it's a total,
10:51complete change.
10:53It's tougher out there,
10:55much more difficult.
10:56More crime,
10:57more violence,
10:57more guns,
10:59more dope.
11:01Sheriff's Department,
11:01we have a search warrant.
11:03Open the door.
11:04Get your hands up.
11:05Pick, pick.
11:06We're heading for the bathroom.
11:07Go, go, go.
11:09Set it.
11:09Get your hands up.
11:10Get your hands up.
11:10Get your hands up.
11:10Get your hands up.
11:11Get two in the kitchen.
11:11Two in the kitchen.
11:12Hold on.
11:12Don't go in there, Marquet.
11:13Just hold it.
11:14Get out.
11:15Get out.
11:16Get out.
11:17Is there anybody outside
11:18we have to deal with?
11:19They're all pretty far away.
11:21So what it means is
11:22that each year
11:23we're arresting
11:23over 50,000 people
11:25for drug offenses.
11:27For years,
11:27we were seizing
11:28over seven to eight tons
11:31of cocaine in the city,
11:34large amounts
11:34of other kinds
11:35of narcotics,
11:37and that makes
11:38a lot of work
11:39for a police department
11:41and a lot of
11:42social disintegration
11:44of a city
11:45that should be,
11:48as its name implies,
11:49the city of the angels.
11:53Despite the record seizures
11:55of cocaine
11:55on the streets
11:56of Los Angeles,
11:57police here estimate
11:58that they stop
11:59only 10%
12:00of the illegal drug traffic,
12:03drugs are the number one problem
12:05for the region's
12:06two main law enforcement agencies,
12:08the Los Angeles police
12:09and the Los Angeles sheriff's department.
12:16This is one of 20 squads
12:18of sheriff's deputies
12:19assigned full-time
12:20to stopping illegal drugs.
12:22They routinely set up drug deals,
12:25often based on
12:26nothing more than a tip.
12:27They work out of a trailer
12:28behind the Lenox station
12:30in south-central Los Angeles.
12:31They work out of a trailer
12:35behind the Lenox station
12:37in south-central Los Angeles,
12:38the heart of gang territory.
12:41The squad concentrates
13:02on low-level street dealers
13:03who sell small amounts
13:05of cocaine and heroin.
13:15Their strategy
13:16is to demonstrate
13:17a commitment
13:18to the community
13:19by busting as many dealers
13:21as possible
13:22in high-visibility arrests.
13:23the pressure is never routine.
13:29I can't tell if he's got
13:30the hat off or not.
13:31Here's Chris walking.
13:33No, he hasn't got the hat.
13:34I'll give you to go.
13:34Go, go, go, go, go, go.
13:41Go!
13:46Get the car!
13:46Get the car!
13:47Get the car!
13:47Get the car!
13:48Get the car, Brian!
13:53I ran all the way over here!
13:57I couldn't see
13:58if you guys were going
13:59to see the ice sign or not, man.
14:00I took the hat off
14:01by putting it on a car, man.
14:02This guy's going,
14:03nah, something ain't right, man.
14:05This guy knew
14:05it was up right away.
14:12Here you go.
14:12You got your 20 of heroin
14:13and your 20 of powder cocaine.
14:17A second strategy
14:21developed in the mid-1980s
14:23as the sheriff's department
14:24began discovering
14:25large amounts
14:26of drugs and money.
14:28500 pounds of cocaine
14:30or a half a million dollars
14:32in cash
14:32were not uncommon seizures.
14:39So the sheriff's department
14:40formed an elite squad
14:42of detectives
14:43to go after
14:43major drug dealers.
14:45They called themselves
14:46the majors.
14:48They were the best of cops.
14:51Cops like Dan Garner.
14:55Look for certain cars
14:57coming out of certain areas,
14:58you know, businesses
14:59that you know
15:01are associated
15:02with drug activity
15:03and profile those people,
15:06follow them
15:06and do a work upon them.
15:09Garner's partner
15:10was Jim Bowder.
15:11After a period of time
15:13I think most of us
15:14had a pretty good
15:15knack for
15:17you know,
15:18when the guy
15:19was up to something
15:19really wrong
15:20and when it was
15:21just regular activity.
15:23That was kind of
15:24the trick I would say,
15:25Dan, wouldn't you?
15:27Dan Garner
15:28had been a deputy sheriff
15:29for more than
15:30a dozen years
15:30when he joined
15:31the majors squad.
15:32He is a Vietnam veteran
15:34and the father
15:34of two sons.
15:36For deputies like Garner,
15:38the majors
15:38was a prized job.
15:40It's a little
15:41like hunting.
15:42I mean,
15:42you really,
15:44you bag your game
15:45on your skill.
15:47I mean,
15:47you track it,
15:48you watch it,
15:49you gotta know
15:49when to pull the trigger
15:50and when not
15:50to pull the trigger
15:51and it's exciting.
15:56Jim Bowder's father
15:58was also a cop.
16:00After seven years
16:00as a deputy,
16:02he joined the majors
16:02in 1987.
16:04For me,
16:05I think it wasn't
16:06the same job every day.
16:07Every night
16:08you'd get in the radio car
16:09and you had no idea
16:10what was gonna happen
16:10and some nights
16:11were kind of boring
16:12and other nights
16:12were really exciting
16:13and I think
16:14that's the lure for me
16:15more than anything else.
16:20The major squads
16:21got results.
16:22This is one
16:23of their seizures.
16:24Finding half a million dollars
16:26in a room
16:26was not unusual.
16:30Four million
16:31was their largest
16:32single cash seizure.
16:33What you'd do
16:34is you'd find the money
16:35and in our case
16:37our sergeant
16:37you'd point the money
16:39out to him
16:40and he'd get
16:41the seizure bags
16:42that he had in his car
16:43at all times
16:44and we'd take that money
16:45and it depended
16:47on how he handled it.
16:48Sometimes we'd just
16:49throw the money
16:50in his car
16:50and he'd later bag it up
16:51and sometimes
16:52he'd bag it right there.
16:54And so they'd take
16:54those bundles
16:55and they'd throw them
16:56in the bag
16:56and they'd do
16:58what they call
16:59a bundle count.
17:00They'd guess
17:01this looks like
17:02$10,000 in hundreds
17:03and we'd do
17:03a bundle count
17:04and we'd seal
17:04that bag up
17:05and that money
17:07would be retained
17:08by our sergeant
17:09and ultimately
17:10placed in the safe
17:11at our headquarters
17:12and on some future day
17:15a forfeiture crew
17:16would count the money.
17:19The counts
17:19were constantly off
17:21because
17:21if you count
17:23that large amount
17:24of money
17:24five times
17:25in this room today
17:27I bet we'll get
17:27five different counts.
17:29We've even taken
17:29money to the banks
17:30and they have to
17:32count it
17:32three and four times
17:33to get it.
17:33So after a while
17:35I mean
17:35the discrepancy
17:36over or below
17:38doesn't surprise you.
17:40This is just a...
17:42In 1987
17:43the sheriff's department
17:45seized more than
17:46$26 million
17:47in drug money.
17:49Another $33 million
17:50in 1988.
17:53Cash seizures
17:54became the focus
17:55of Garner
17:56and Bowder's team.
17:57You see that
17:58there's big money
17:59out there
17:59you want to seize
18:00the big money
18:01for your department.
18:02For our unit
18:03that was a sign
18:04of whether you were
18:04doing good
18:05or poorly
18:07was how much money
18:08you seized
18:09and the kind
18:10of cases you did.
18:11And my supervisor
18:13made it
18:14extremely clear
18:16that big money
18:17cases were
18:18a lot more
18:19favorable
18:20for your
18:21overall evaluation
18:22than big dope cases.
18:24Jim Walsh
18:25worked closely
18:26with the majors.
18:27He is the chief
18:28federal prosecutor
18:29for drug cases
18:30in Los Angeles.
18:31These people
18:33that go out
18:33and they go
18:34into hotel rooms
18:35and find
18:35millions of dollars
18:37literally
18:37I can think
18:38of a dozen
18:39occasions
18:40where officers
18:41have confronted
18:42a million
18:44or more dollars
18:45and who's
18:47going to miss it?
18:48That's tremendous
18:49temptation
18:49and it seems
18:50like everybody's
18:51making a lot
18:52of money
18:52except them
18:53and the other guys
18:54were taking
18:54the risks and chances.
18:56I don't offer
18:56any of this
18:57by way of
18:57excuse or explanation
18:58for cops
19:00who yield
19:02to the temptation
19:02but it's
19:04part of the picture.
19:06You want to know
19:07about pressures?
19:08That's part
19:08of the pressure
19:09I think.
19:10The pressure
19:11of a guy
19:11trying to put
19:12a couple of kids
19:12through college
19:13on a policeman's
19:15salary
19:15having to have
19:17his nose rubbed
19:17in it
19:18it's a dirty
19:19business
19:19all the way
19:19it's a dirty
19:20and a corrupting
19:20business
19:20all the way
19:21around
19:21no matter
19:21who touches
19:22it
19:22gets
19:24dirtied up
19:25a little bit
19:26by it.
19:30One morning
19:31in September
19:31of last year
19:32in a suburban
19:33neighborhood
19:34an hour
19:34south of Los Angeles
19:36a dozen cars
19:37suddenly pulled up
19:38to this house
19:39it was Dan Garner's
19:41house.
19:43I'd gotten up
19:43and went to work
19:44that morning
19:44early
19:45we were supposed
19:46to meet
19:47in Downey
19:47on the surveillance
19:48and I was
19:50beeped by my wife
19:51and she called me
19:53and says
19:54she was at work
19:55at that point
19:56in time
19:56and says
19:57my son had called
19:59and that
19:59the FBI
20:00and the IRS
20:01and all the
20:03cops in the world
20:04are at our house
20:05have surrounded
20:06our house.
20:08Armed with a
20:09search warrant
20:10the agents
20:11were looking
20:11for money
20:12financial records
20:13or anything else
20:14that might link
20:15Garner
20:16to the theft
20:16of over
20:17a million
20:17dollars
20:18in drug
20:18money.
20:19Basically
20:20you're numb
20:20you don't
20:21know what's
20:22happening
20:22and there was
20:23a conservative
20:25estimate
20:2510 to 12
20:26people there
20:27and they're
20:28tearing everything
20:29out of your
20:29drawers
20:29and out of your
20:30house
20:30and your clothes
20:32and your cars
20:33and everything
20:33and they
20:34took my work car
20:36and took
20:36everything out of it
20:37and spread it up
20:38and down the street
20:38and that's one thing
20:40that stands out
20:41in my mind
20:41I was standing
20:42in the hallway
20:43of my house
20:44and the FBI
20:46guy was telling
20:46me he says
20:47I'm going to
20:47put you away
20:48in prison
20:48for 50 years
20:49and I looked
20:51at the pictures
20:52of my kids
20:52on the wall
20:53and I remember
20:54me lecturing them
20:56and I was
20:57pretty sad.
20:59A stinging
21:00rebuke today
21:01for the Los Angeles
21:02Sheriff's Department
21:03a long investigation
21:04into drug money skimming
21:05culminated today
21:06in more than a dozen
21:07criminal indictments.
21:08Garner was not alone.
21:11In February
21:12his entire squad
21:13was indicted
21:14on charges of theft
21:15conspiracy
21:16and the laundering
21:17of more than
21:171.4 million dollars.
21:22According to the indictment
21:23the deputies skimmed
21:25large amounts
21:26of seized drug money
21:27before turning it
21:28into the department.
21:29Then they allegedly
21:31divided it
21:31among themselves
21:32and bought boats
21:33swimming pools
21:34vacation homes
21:35and helicopter lessons.
21:38Dan Garner
21:39is specifically
21:40accused of stealing
21:41more than
21:42$75,000.
21:44He allegedly
21:45told another deputy
21:46I can make you rich.
21:49Jim Bowder
21:49is accused
21:50of skimming
21:50almost $200,000
21:52investing some
21:53of the money
21:54in a horse racing
21:55syndicate.
21:56According to the
21:56indictment
21:57one deputy
21:58joked
21:58here's your
22:00Christmas bonus
22:00and another said
22:02I stole so much
22:04it scared me.
22:06Since February
22:0716 more deputies
22:09have been suspended
22:10in the corruption
22:10investigation.
22:12More indictments
22:13are expected soon.
22:15It is currently
22:15the largest investigation
22:17of police corruption
22:18in the country.
22:19They claim you
22:20were stealing money.
22:21That's correct.
22:21And were you?
22:22No.
22:24Garner and Bowder
22:25maintain their innocence.
22:27They agreed
22:27to talk to Frontline
22:28only under conditions
22:29set by their lawyers.
22:31They would not answer
22:32any specific questions
22:33about the case
22:34but could talk
22:35about their work
22:36and the impact
22:37of the indictments.
22:37And of course
22:39no information
22:40was really forthcoming
22:41other than you were
22:42suspended
22:42and allegations
22:43of theft
22:44were in the air.
22:46And it was really tough.
22:50And since that time
22:51I still have bouts
22:52of being nervous
22:53and not being able
22:54to sleep
22:54but generally
22:55I've just accepted
22:56my circumstances
22:57and have resolved
22:58myself to fight
22:59my way out of them.
23:00The government's
23:02chief witness
23:03against Bowder
23:04and Garner
23:04will be their supervisor
23:05Sergeant Robert Sobel.
23:08Sobel has already
23:09pled guilty
23:09to conspiracy
23:10and tax evasion.
23:12In a statement
23:13Sobel said
23:14currency skimming
23:15was the practice
23:16not a rarity.
23:19His lawyer
23:20told Frontline
23:21that Sobel
23:21regrets his crimes
23:23and he will cooperate
23:24fully with the prosecutors.
23:28After his arraignment
23:29Garner said
23:30no money was missing
23:31if anything
23:32it was simply
23:33miscounted
23:33and he was just
23:34doing his job.
23:35That was our sole purpose
23:36to seize money
23:37for Sherman Block
23:38and we went in
23:39and did what we did
23:40many times
23:40and now
23:41everybody's acting
23:42like it's a very
23:43unusual incident.
23:44Sherman Block
23:45is the sheriff
23:46of Los Angeles County.
23:48I think we
23:49had individuals
23:51who
23:52succumbed
23:53to
23:54temptation
23:56who
23:57somehow
23:58I'm sure
23:59in their own
24:00minds
24:01they probably
24:02were able
24:02to
24:03rationalize
24:05what they
24:05were doing
24:06was not
24:06really wrong
24:07since
24:07the individuals
24:09who they
24:09were dealing
24:10with
24:10were not
24:11honorable people
24:12in themselves.
24:14If an individual
24:15is exposed
24:17to
24:17large amounts
24:19or small amounts
24:20should not
24:21cause them
24:22to suddenly
24:23become dishonest
24:24because the
24:24price is
24:25right.
24:25I just
24:26can't
24:27can't
24:27accept
24:27that.
24:29Now I know
24:29there have been
24:30difficulties.
24:30I've read the papers
24:31and I've seen
24:32the stories
24:32this past week
24:33about the
24:34indictments here.
24:36Some bad
24:37apple turns up
24:38an officer
24:39abuses
24:39your trust
24:41or ours
24:41by doing
24:42wrong.
24:43Ten days
24:43after the
24:44indictments
24:44President Bush
24:45spoke before
24:46an assembly
24:47of sheriff's
24:48deputies
24:48and Los Angeles
24:49police.
24:50Don't let it
24:51get you down.
24:52Keep your heads
24:54high.
24:55Well I
24:55personally
24:56don't care
24:59what George
24:59Bush says
25:00or Sherman
25:00Block says
25:01or anybody
25:01says for that
25:02matter.
25:02I know
25:03the kind
25:04of individual
25:04I am
25:05and the kind
25:05of deputy
25:06sheriff
25:06I have
25:07been.
25:08I'm very
25:09proud of
25:09my
25:09participation
25:11on the
25:12sheriff's
25:12department.
25:13I think
25:13I'm very
25:14proud of
25:15myself
25:16individually
25:16and I
25:17don't have
25:18anything to
25:18be ashamed
25:19of.
25:20All the
25:21major squads
25:21have now
25:22been disbanded
25:23and seizures
25:24of drug
25:24money by
25:25the sheriff's
25:25department
25:26have dropped
25:26by 60%.
25:28Jim Bowder
25:29and Dan
25:30Garner
25:30were dismissed
25:31from the
25:31force.
25:33Last week
25:33they went
25:34to trial
25:34on charges
25:35that could
25:35send them
25:36to prison
25:36for over
25:3750 years.
25:41Part of
25:41their defense
25:42will focus
25:42on the
25:43sheriff's
25:43department's
25:44drug money
25:44policy.
25:46Harlan Braun
25:47is Dan
25:48Garner's
25:48attorney.
25:48Statistically
25:50when you
25:51start
25:51parading
25:51officers
25:52through
25:52rooms
25:53of
25:53money
25:53you're
25:55asking
25:55for it
25:55and a
25:56system
25:56that's been
25:56created
25:57this way
25:57with this
25:58type of
25:58laws
25:58is asking
25:59for trouble.
26:00The sheriff's
26:01department seized
26:02almost 100
26:02million dollars
26:03in drug
26:04money in the
26:05last three
26:05years.
26:07Asset
26:08forfeiture
26:08laws allow
26:09the department
26:09to keep a
26:10percentage of
26:11the cash
26:11for its
26:12own use.
26:14Critics argue
26:14that when
26:15narcotics
26:15officers become
26:16revenue
26:17producers the
26:18system itself
26:19becomes corrupt.
26:21What they
26:21were doing
26:22was once
26:23you focus
26:24on cash
26:25as the
26:26goal for
26:27the officers
26:28the officers
26:29accept that
26:30and therefore
26:31what they do
26:33is they forget
26:33about the
26:34ultimate goal
26:34of eliminating
26:35dope dealers.
26:36So this was
26:36simply a
26:37revenue raising
26:37device for the
26:39sheriff's department
26:40and for law
26:40enforcement and
26:41it diverted the
26:42officers' attention
26:43to the real
26:43goal which was
26:44stopping dope.
26:44At times
26:47the sheriff's
26:48department chose
26:49not to arrest
26:50suspects who
26:50were caught
26:51with large
26:51amounts of
26:52money.
26:53We seized
26:53four, five,
26:55six hundred
26:55thousand dollars
26:56from a guy
26:56have him sign
26:58a disclaimer
26:58form that
26:59says he has
26:59no knowledge
27:00of that money
27:00doesn't know
27:01how he came
27:01into possession
27:02of it.
27:03You take
27:03some basic
27:04information
27:04from him
27:05and in the
27:05wind he
27:05goes you
27:07file that
27:08or return
27:09that money
27:10to the
27:10department
27:10they initiate
27:11a forfeiture
27:12action and
27:12then you go
27:12on to the
27:13next money
27:13case.
27:13In the
27:14disclaimer
27:15form the
27:16suspect states
27:16that he is
27:17not the
27:17owner of
27:18the seized
27:18money and
27:19that he
27:19will not
27:20attempt to
27:20claim it.
27:22The forms
27:22were used
27:23by the
27:23sheriff's
27:23department
27:24in
27:24investigations
27:25where money
27:25was seized
27:26but no
27:27drugs were
27:27found.
27:29The purpose
27:29according to
27:30this department
27:30memo was to
27:32assist the
27:32department in
27:33gaining permanent
27:34legal possession
27:35of the money.
27:36You know if
27:36I've told my
27:37neighbors I
27:37says yeah we
27:38follow guys
27:38all around all
27:39the time
27:39seize five
27:40hundred
27:40thousand dollars
27:41from them
27:41in cash
27:42they sign a
27:42waiver that
27:43says it's
27:43not their
27:43money we
27:44let them
27:44go and
27:44take less
27:45information we
27:45put on a
27:46regular traffic
27:47ticket and
27:48don't arrest
27:49them and don't
27:49prosecute them
27:50most people go
27:50no that's not
27:51true that's
27:52you're kidding
27:53that's not that
27:54doesn't happen but
27:54that's what we
27:55routinely did.
27:56they rationalize
27:57they rationalize it
27:57by saying taking
27:58money away from
27:59the dope
27:59dealers is hurting
28:00the dope
28:00dealers but
28:01all it is is
28:01taxing them
28:02it's just a
28:03tax the money
28:04that they seize
28:05may be a lot
28:06of money but
28:06it's certainly
28:06not putting
28:07dope dealers
28:07out of
28:08business.
28:09The department
28:10no longer uses
28:11the disclaimer
28:12forms but the
28:13sheriff defends
28:14their original
28:15purpose.
28:15the more of
28:17that profit
28:18that you can
28:18take away
28:19either in
28:20seizure of
28:20currency or
28:21other assets
28:22that they've
28:22gained the
28:23more you're
28:24you're going
28:25to hurt
28:27them.
28:28So if we
28:31as an
28:32organization
28:32benefit in
28:34the process
28:34because we
28:35get some of
28:36that money to
28:36assist us with
28:37our own
28:38budgetary needs
28:39then that's
28:40kind of icing
28:40on the cake.
28:42Well I don't
28:43want to
28:43criticize the
28:44sheriff's
28:45department but
28:46I think all
28:47of us had a
28:48weak point.
28:51My you know
28:52the administration
28:52of the city
28:53decided to put
28:54asset forfeiture
28:56seizures in our
28:57budget of all
28:58things.
28:59That meant
28:59we're supposed
29:00to make a
29:01certain level
29:02of cash
29:03seizures in
29:04order to make
29:04our budget.
29:05That's crazy.
29:06I objected to
29:07that right from
29:07the very beginning
29:08I still object
29:08to it.
29:09I think it's
29:10almost as close
29:11to being as
29:12unethical and
29:13as immoral as
29:13you can get.
29:15But I think a
29:16lot of people
29:16were faced with
29:17that.
29:18Clearly to the
29:20extent the
29:21sheriff or any
29:22of us emphasized
29:22it was wrong
29:24and could have
29:25had a great
29:27deal of
29:28it could have
29:30been a big
29:31part of the
29:31reason why
29:32what happened
29:33happened but
29:34you still get
29:35back to the
29:35fundamental issue
29:36you had a
29:37crooked cop that
29:38made a decision
29:39to go crooked.
29:40police corruption
29:44in Los Angeles
29:45has spread
29:46beyond the
29:46sheriff's
29:47department.
29:48The investigation
29:49has widened
29:50and is now
29:51expected to
29:51include members
29:52of the Los
29:53Angeles police
29:53department.
29:55And another
29:56investigation in
29:57Los Angeles
29:57has focused on
29:58federal drug
29:59agents.
30:02This is the
30:03view from
30:03Darnell Garcia's
30:04house.
30:06For ten years
30:07Garcia was an
30:08agent for the
30:09Drug Enforcement
30:09Administration.
30:12He allegedly
30:12spent millions
30:13of dollars
30:14traveling around
30:15the world
30:15first class
30:16and living in
30:17this exclusive
30:18suburb of
30:19Los Angeles.
30:25Garcia worked
30:26with another
30:26DEA agent
30:27Wayne Countryman
30:29who lived here.
30:31Along with a
30:32third agent
30:33John Jackson
30:34they are accused
30:35of stealing
30:35hundreds of
30:36kilograms of
30:37cocaine and
30:37heroin and
30:39then laundering
30:39their profits
30:40through two
30:41local banks
30:41and transferring
30:44millions of
30:45dollars to
30:45secret accounts
30:46in Switzerland.
30:50According to
30:50the indictment
30:51they stole
30:52150 kilograms
30:53of heroin
30:54from DEA
30:55headquarters in
30:56Los Angeles
30:56and sent the
30:57drugs to
30:58dealers in
30:58New York
30:59by Federal
30:59Express.
31:02This summer
31:03in Los Angeles
31:03two of the
31:04agents pled
31:05guilty to drug
31:06trafficking and
31:06money laundering.
31:07the third
31:08will go on
31:09trial next
31:09week in
31:10the same
31:10courthouse
31:11where the
31:11trial of
31:12the sheriff's
31:12deputies is
31:13already underway.
31:16It was the
31:16most depressing
31:17thing that I've
31:19had to deal
31:20with since I've
31:21been here.
31:22I knew
31:22know a number
31:25of, I don't
31:27know all the
31:27sheriff's
31:27officers, but
31:28I know some
31:28of them.
31:28I've worked
31:29with some
31:29of them.
31:30I've worked
31:30cases with
31:31them.
31:31With the
31:32DEA agents
31:33I work with
31:33all three of
31:34them and put
31:36them on the
31:37witness stand.
31:37I've taken
31:37testimony from
31:38them.
31:38I've offered
31:39their testimony
31:39as true and
31:41credible in
31:42courts.
31:43and to
31:44find out
31:45that some
31:46of the
31:47people that
31:47you've spent
31:47that kind
31:48of time
31:48with have
31:48according to
31:51the allegations
31:52unapproved
31:53at this point
31:54that they may
31:56have been
31:57involved in
31:58other activities
31:59breaks you
32:01harm.
32:03Good cops,
32:04these guys.
32:06So everybody
32:07thought.
32:08In
32:12Washington,
32:13the FBI
32:14tracks police
32:15corruption
32:15cases nationwide
32:16and have
32:17found that
32:1859% of
32:19them are
32:19drug-related.
32:23They also
32:24see a pattern
32:24in how good
32:25cops go bad.
32:27A lot of
32:27them tell a
32:28story that's
32:28somewhat
32:29shocking,
32:31that they
32:32came in to
32:33be a law
32:33enforcement
32:33officer with
32:34the best of
32:35intentions,
32:37and that
32:37they saw
32:39the world
32:40as right
32:40and wrong.
32:41And then
32:41they became
32:42part of a
32:43system that
32:44they saw
32:45those around
32:45them bending
32:46the rules,
32:49taking money,
32:52and then
32:52after a while
32:53they found
32:53themselves.
32:55At first
32:55they tried to
32:56debuck the
32:57system, and
32:57then all of
32:58a sudden
32:58they were
32:58part of
32:59the system.
33:00There is
33:01nothing in
33:03the world
33:03that's
33:03incorruptible
33:04except
33:05personal
33:06character that
33:06will not be
33:07corrupted.
33:08Ed DeLottery
33:09consults with
33:09the FBI about
33:11ethics in
33:11policing.
33:13It is a
33:13slippery slope.
33:15Once you put
33:16yourself outside
33:16the law, it
33:17tends to be
33:18corrosive of
33:19your respect
33:20for the law.
33:21So today it's
33:22a search that
33:23goes a little
33:23too far.
33:25Then it's a
33:25false report
33:26to cover up
33:29the fact that
33:29the search went
33:30a little too
33:30far.
33:31Then it's
33:32perjured
33:33testimony in a
33:34trial in order
33:35to get the
33:36conviction and
33:38to safeguard the
33:39false report
33:39and to
33:40protect yourself
33:41from the fact
33:42that you went
33:42farther than
33:44you had any
33:44right to in
33:45the first
33:45place.
33:47And then
33:47perhaps it
33:48becomes a
33:49case of skimming
33:50a little of
33:50the drug
33:50dealer's money
33:51in order to
33:53buy something
33:53that the
33:54department needs.
33:56Once you
33:56begin to skim
33:57the money,
33:58it's not hard
33:59to go from
33:59there to
34:01well, we'll
34:01take a few
34:02dollars just
34:02for us.
34:04Is the line
34:04ready?
34:06The line
34:07is ready.
34:11I really
34:14want to go
34:15just like
34:15this!
34:16This is the
34:17training facility
34:18at Quantico,
34:19Virginia for
34:20DEA and
34:21FBI agents.
34:23Before they
34:23get here,
34:25background checks
34:25by the FBI
34:26are intended to
34:27weed out any
34:28recruits who
34:29might become
34:29corrupt,
34:30but a few
34:31slipped through.
34:33The DEA,
34:34which has
34:343,000 agents,
34:36has started
34:3632 internal
34:37corruption
34:38investigations
34:39this year.
34:41In fact,
34:42every federal
34:42law enforcement
34:43agency has
34:44had agents
34:45involved in
34:45drug-related
34:46corruption.
34:48Of the more
34:48than 400
34:49cases of
34:50police corruption
34:50the FBI is
34:51currently tracking
34:52nationwide,
34:5454 involve
34:55federal agents,
34:5649 state
34:57police,
34:58and 327
34:59local cops.
35:02My point is
35:03that there are
35:03lots and lots
35:04of people in
35:05policing who
35:06deserve to be
35:07trusted and
35:08who will be
35:08trustworthy until
35:09the end,
35:10for whom it is
35:11commonplace to
35:12say of these
35:13excesses you and
35:14I are discussing,
35:15we don't do that
35:16here.
35:17Does that mean
35:18that there's not
35:20a problem to
35:20worry about?
35:21No.
35:22There is a very
35:23serious problem
35:24to worry about.
35:25The temptations
35:26toward wrongdoing,
35:28either for
35:29personal gain
35:30or for some
35:31real or
35:32imagined noble
35:33cause,
35:33are very
35:34great.
35:37While experts
35:38are concerned
35:39about the
35:40growing national
35:40problem of
35:41police corruption,
35:43they are
35:43particularly worried
35:44about its impact
35:45in the small
35:46towns of America.
35:47Richard Witt,
35:52who worked for
35:53the Miami
35:53Police Department
35:54during its
35:55corruption scandal,
35:56is now chief of
35:57police in
35:58Hollywood,
35:58Florida.
35:59But even here,
36:01he has had to
36:01deal with
36:02corruption on
36:03his force.
36:04Anyone who
36:05says,
36:06I've never had
36:08that problem
36:09in my police
36:10department,
36:11should add the
36:12operative word,
36:13yet.
36:13because it
36:16is a matter
36:17of when.
36:31Seagirt is a
36:32resort town on
36:33the New Jersey
36:33shore,
36:34whose population
36:35of 2,500
36:36doubles in the
36:37summertime.
36:40Seagirt is
36:41small,
36:42just one
36:42square mile.
36:43It is affluent,
36:45quiet,
36:46respectable,
36:47and proud.
36:51There is a
36:52close relationship
36:53between the
36:53people of
36:54Seagirt and
36:54its 12-member
36:55police department.
36:57Almost all
36:58the residents
36:58know the
36:59officers personally.
37:01The chief
37:02is Robert
37:03Jewell.
37:04Everybody
37:04calls him
37:05Biff.
37:07He personally
37:08responds to
37:09traffic accidents
37:10and drives
37:10patrol through
37:11the town.
37:12his is one
37:16of 17,000
37:17local police
37:18departments in
37:19the United
37:19States.
37:21This past
37:22spring,
37:23Chief Jewell
37:24received a
37:24phone call
37:25early one
37:26morning.
37:26When I got
37:27a call from
37:28one of the
37:29fellows up at
37:30the prosecutor's
37:31office to come
37:31on over to the
37:32camp, they were
37:33holding a sting
37:34operation there.
37:36So I go on
37:37over to the
37:37camp and I've
37:39seen sting
37:39operations before.
37:40I figured,
37:41well, it's
37:41in Seagirt.
37:42Maybe they
37:42want us over
37:43there to back
37:44up or help
37:44them.
37:45I go in
37:46there and I
37:46talk to my
37:47friend over
37:48there and he
37:48says, no, we
37:49just arrested
37:50two of your
37:50people, the
37:52lieutenant and
37:52the sergeant.
37:53So, geez,
37:55they got them
37:56on the drug
37:56sting operation
37:57and we're
37:59investigating another
38:00one, your
38:01captain.
38:03So that's how
38:05I found out
38:06about it.
38:08State police
38:08arrested more
38:09than 20 local
38:10people for
38:11allegedly operating
38:12a half-million
38:12dollar drug ring
38:13which was
38:14distributing
38:15cocaine and
38:15marijuana.
38:16the three
38:21Seagirt police
38:22officers were
38:22accused of
38:23selling drugs
38:24and protecting
38:24the ring.
38:27Arrested were
38:28Joseph Beaumont,
38:29a sergeant with
38:3012 years experience
38:31with the department,
38:34Lieutenant Robert
38:34Hindman, a
38:3513-year veteran,
38:37and Captain Guy
38:38Cavallari, 11
38:40years on the force
38:41and the father of
38:42three children.
38:42The accusations
38:47include charges
38:49that the ring
38:49brought a pound
38:50of cocaine
38:51into Seagirt
38:51each week
38:52and that the
38:53police were
38:54selling drugs
38:54out of their
38:55squad cars.
38:56I was shocked.
38:57Unbelievable.
38:58I mean,
39:00the whole world
39:01was,
39:02what can you say?
39:04It's beyond words.
39:06Unbelievable.
39:08At the town
39:09hall,
39:11residents crowded
39:11into an
39:12emergency meeting
39:13to discuss
39:14the scandal.
39:15Fortunately,
39:16it looks like
39:16we had
39:17some trusted
39:18members
39:19of our department
39:20who violated
39:21their oath,
39:22violated their
39:24badge,
39:25and certainly
39:25violated your
39:26confidence in
39:28them.
39:30William McGinnis
39:31is the mayor
39:32of Seagirt.
39:33I was
39:34absolutely shocked.
39:35I couldn't believe
39:36that this was
39:37going to happen
39:38here.
39:40I had never
39:40dreamed of
39:41such a thing
39:42occurring,
39:43and I was
39:43speechless.
39:44I was dumbfounded.
39:45I thought they
39:45were really,
39:47somebody was
39:48pulling some
39:49sort of a
39:50very warped
39:52joke.
39:54The town
39:55was particularly
39:55worried about
39:56the impact of
39:57the scandal
39:57on its children.
39:59Two of the
40:00officers regularly
40:01spoke to
40:01classes about
40:03the dangers
40:03of drug use.
40:04police.
40:05The one
40:05question that
40:06did come up
40:06in every
40:07classroom was,
40:08you know,
40:09who do we
40:09trust now?
40:10Joan Calhoun
40:11is the
40:11mother of
40:12two and
40:13president of
40:13the school
40:14board.
40:15It's sad
40:15more than
40:16anything else
40:16to watch
40:17the children's
40:17reaction because
40:19they do
40:21believe that
40:22the policemen
40:22were someone
40:23that you
40:23could trust.
40:24All of a
40:25sudden, the
40:26curtain opened
40:26up and there
40:27was the big
40:28picture, staring
40:29them in the
40:29face.
40:29men who
40:30they had
40:31great respect
40:31for were
40:33all of a
40:34sudden fallen
40:35and were no
40:37better than
40:37the people
40:39that they had
40:39heard about
40:40getting involved
40:41in this terrible
40:42thing.
40:43And there it
40:43was, right in
40:44front of them,
40:44their own heroes
40:46in some case,
40:47their own
40:47friends, the
40:49people they had
40:50respect for,
40:51these people who
40:52they never, never
40:53would have expected
40:54this from.
40:56I think it
40:56shocked a lot
40:57of young people
40:58into realizing
40:59oh, this is
41:00something that
41:01I have to
41:02think more
41:02about.
41:03Most people
41:04here were
41:04close to the
41:05arrested officers
41:06and trusted
41:07them not only
41:08as cops, but
41:09as friends.
41:11Many people
41:12were reluctant
41:12to talk with
41:13us about the
41:13scandal, afraid
41:15that something
41:15they might say
41:16would hurt
41:17their town even
41:18more.
41:20This particular
41:21thing, this
41:21drug, this
41:22insidious
41:23disease called
41:24narcotics, no
41:27one thought it
41:27would reach into
41:28this town.
41:29just tear its
41:30police department
41:30apart.
41:31No one
41:31thought that.
41:39It has now
41:39been five years
41:41since the
41:41Miami River
41:42Cops scandal
41:43broke.
41:46With the
41:47years of
41:47arrests and
41:48trials now
41:49behind them,
41:49Miami's confidence
41:50in its police
41:51has grown.
41:52For the
41:53department, the
41:53lessons were
41:54hard-earned but
41:55clear.
41:55good cops must
41:57have the right
41:58values.
41:59I mean, they
42:00got to believe
42:00in something.
42:02They got to
42:02believe that
42:02this job is
42:03sacred, that
42:04people have
42:05placed their
42:06trust in me.
42:07They depend
42:08upon me.
42:10Honest people
42:10depend on me to
42:11get a job done
42:12and no one
42:12else can do
42:14that but me.
42:15I'm the one of
42:16a billion people
42:17on earth.
42:18I'm here in
42:19this little spot
42:19and I'm
42:20responsible for
42:20these people.
42:25Look at the
42:26wood over here.
42:27Him and
42:28another person
42:28came up and
42:29they said they
42:29wanted to see
42:30my bag and
42:31they grabbed
42:31it from me and
42:32he said you
42:32had a knife.
42:33He took my
42:33stuff and then
42:34he took a
42:35bunch of
42:35brand new
42:35stuff and
42:36chased them
42:38all around.
42:40Where's the
42:40knife?
42:41I ain't got a
42:42knife, sir.
42:43I never had
42:43no knife, sir.
42:45I had a
42:46knife, sir.
42:46This is my
42:47responsibility
42:48because people
42:48have given me
42:49this responsibility.
42:50They trust me.
42:51This is the
42:51faith that they
42:53have put in
42:54me and this
42:54badge.
42:56Those things
42:56have to be
42:57reinforced.
42:58There's nothing
42:59to replace
42:59that.
43:00In the wake
43:01of the Miami
43:01scandal, the
43:03Justice Department
43:04commissioned a
43:04nationwide study
43:05which concluded
43:07that tougher
43:08recruitment
43:08standards and
43:09reinforcing
43:10values were
43:11the keys to
43:12stopping police
43:13corruption.
43:14If you have
43:14corruption,
43:15corruption, a
43:17basic part of
43:18your system, your
43:19organizational system
43:20has already
43:21failed.
43:22We think when we
43:23ferret out
43:23corruption that we
43:24are doing a good
43:25thing.
43:26Well, we are
43:27certainly doing a
43:27good thing, but
43:28we've missed the
43:29boat in the
43:30first two areas.
43:31We haven't
43:31recruited good
43:32people, or if
43:34we have, we
43:34haven't sustained
43:35high integrity in
43:36those people, we've
43:37helped them to
43:38fail.
43:38In Miami, the
43:44officers themselves
43:45joined the drive
43:46for higher
43:46standards by
43:47voluntarily submitting
43:48to random drug
43:49tests.
43:51So far this year,
43:52no Miami police
43:53officer has tested
43:54positive.
43:56The department
43:56credits its tough
43:57recruiting guidelines.
43:58just in our
44:01hiring process, we
44:03have a zero
44:04tolerance, which
44:05is unheard of
44:06around the
44:07country, zero
44:08tolerance.
44:08If you smoked one
44:09marijuana cigarette
44:10before you came here
44:12and applied for a
44:13job, you're not
44:14going to get on with
44:15this police department.
44:16Despite their tough
44:17stand on drug use,
44:19the department can
44:20only remain hopeful
44:21that these new
44:22standards will
44:23actually stop police
44:24corruption.
44:25For the Los
44:31Angeles Sheriff's
44:32Department, the
44:33recruitment challenge
44:34is even greater.
44:36They hire new
44:37deputies from across
44:38the United States
44:39by advertising their
44:40strong reputation
44:41and the lure of
44:43Southern California.
44:44Look at that
44:44mountain, look at
44:46those trees, look at
44:48that bum over there
44:49man, he's down on
44:50his knees.
44:51Look at these
44:52women, ain't
44:53nothing like
44:54from nowhere.
44:59Century Boulevard.
45:01We love it.
45:02Century Boulevard.
45:04We love it.
45:06Santa Monica
45:07Boulevard.
45:08We love it.
45:10Six feet.
45:11We love it.
45:12We love it.
45:13We love it.
45:15We love it.
45:16We love it.
45:22Three times each month,
45:24all year long,
45:25hundreds of applicants
45:26arrive in Los Angeles
45:27to take the written
45:28intelligence test.
45:30The Sheriff's Department
45:31says it is looking for
45:32high school graduates
45:33who want to help people
45:35and put something of
45:36themselves back into
45:37the community.
45:39Starting pay is
45:40$28,000.
45:43Last year,
45:44despite the corruption
45:45scandal,
45:46the department had more
45:47than 30,000 applicants
45:48for under 1,000
45:50deputy sheriff positions,
45:5210,000 actually showed up
45:54to take the exam.
45:56Half of them failed.
45:59You all failed the written
46:00portion of the examination.
46:01On top of this card here,
46:03you will see the number one
46:04or the number two.
46:07Next, a short personal interview
46:09weeds out another 1,000 applicants.
46:11The questions here
46:13focus on any past
46:15criminal activity,
46:16especially drug use.
46:18As far as your narcotic use,
46:19you've got down
46:20one-time
46:21marijuana use.
46:23Yes.
46:23How about cocaine?
46:24No.
46:25Barbiturates.
46:26Amphetamines?
46:27Most police recruiters
46:28see any past drug use
46:29as a serious problem.
46:32They say it represents
46:33a flagrant disregard
46:34for the law.
46:35So hiring former drug users
46:37as cops
46:38is risky.
46:39Captain Michael Nagaoka
46:44was in charge of recruiting.
46:46How many applicants
46:47do you find
46:48who have experimented
46:48with drugs?
46:49I think if I were
46:50to give a percentage,
46:52it would be much better
46:53because what we're
46:54probably talking about
46:55is for the calendar
46:56year of 1989,
46:57we processed
46:58over 32,000 applicants.
47:01We are probably looking
47:02at probably 60 to 65%
47:04that have had some use
47:06or experimentation
47:07with drugs
47:08to some degree.
47:09And where do you
47:10draw the line?
47:11The line is drawn
47:13and it's a determination
47:14that is made
47:15by the department
47:15in regards to
47:17we do allow
47:18a certain amount
47:18of experimentation.
47:20The Justice Department's
47:21study of police corruption
47:22calculated that nationwide,
47:2464% of police applicants
47:27admitted to experimenting
47:28with drugs,
47:30primarily marijuana
47:31and cocaine.
47:32The study concluded
47:34that many agencies
47:35had no choice
47:36but to hire
47:36former drug abusers.
47:39I think that you can hire
47:40and I don't recommend this,
47:42don't misunderstand,
47:43I don't recommend hiring
47:44prior drug abusers,
47:46but I think there are
47:48certain categories
47:49of prior drug abusers
47:51that can be hired
47:52with a reduced risk
47:54if a department
47:56has the time
47:57to pay attention
47:58to building
47:59and reinforcing values.
48:01Once again,
48:02this has been
48:03a perilous period
48:05because we've had
48:05to recruit
48:06from this group
48:08of young people
48:08who grew up
48:09in a nation
48:10that had not said
48:11no to drugs.
48:13As a matter of fact,
48:14had tacitly said
48:15yes to drugs.
48:17And that has made
48:18our job
48:19even more difficult,
48:21not just in finding
48:22the right individuals,
48:23but then after getting them,
48:25making sure
48:26that they understood
48:26that they were
48:27in a different environment,
48:30no longer
48:31in the environment
48:31of other people.
48:34They were
48:34Los Angeles police officers
48:35and that's
48:36a different environment.
48:37And as a
48:38Los Angeles police officer,
48:39you simply don't do
48:40the things
48:41that you might have done
48:42as a private citizen
48:45out there.
48:46you wear a badge
48:47and it's the LAPD badge
48:49and that's got to
48:50mean something to you
48:51and if it doesn't,
48:52then get the hell
48:53out of here.
48:54Any member
48:55of your immediate family
48:56ever been arrested
48:57on a felony charge?
48:58No, not that I know of.
48:59The biggest challenge
49:00for recruiters
49:01is how to determine
49:02which applicants
49:03have the character
49:04and integrity
49:05to become good cops.
49:08At the sheriff's department,
49:10investigators probe
49:11for any signs
49:12of dishonesty.
49:13Your honesty
49:14is going to be
49:15of the utmost importance
49:15here, okay?
49:17Because if you are
49:18in any way deceptive
49:19on the polygraph,
49:20it will greatly harm
49:22your chance
49:22of becoming
49:23a deputy sheriff.
49:24A lot of kids
49:25come in here
49:25and they think
49:27that they can
49:27bluff their way
49:28through this whole thing.
49:30At one time,
49:30they could.
49:31But now that we are
49:32giving polygraphs
49:33to everyone,
49:33it's very difficult
49:34to beat the system.
49:35To double-check
49:36his honesty,
49:38a lie detector test
49:39is now mandatory
49:40for each applicant.
49:41...bothers him.
49:42I was kind of thinking
49:45when I came out of there
49:46that I thought
49:47he was going to say
49:47when I asked him
49:48what question
49:48bothered him the most.
49:49I was thinking
49:50he was going to say
49:51the drinking.
49:53We'll see.
49:54When you think
49:55about policing,
49:56what do you need?
49:58You need people
49:58who have very good judgment,
50:00who can respond
50:01to situations
50:02of great need,
50:04can respond
50:05to cataclysm,
50:06accident,
50:08disaster,
50:09as well as
50:10predatory threats
50:12to the public safety
50:13from criminals
50:14or would-be criminals.
50:16You also need people
50:17of extremely good character,
50:20people who can be trusted
50:21when the chips are down,
50:23trusted not only
50:24in terms of honesty
50:25but in terms of fortitude,
50:27restraint,
50:29respect for the law,
50:30and a sense
50:34of justice
50:34toward the public.
50:38After a process
50:39that lasts
50:40more than six months,
50:42less than 3%
50:43of the original
50:4430,000 applicants
50:45are finally selected
50:46as cadets.
50:48The department hopes
50:49that their system
50:50of interrogation,
50:51polygraphs,
50:52and extensive
50:52background checks
50:53has isolated
50:55those men and women
50:56who are competent
50:56to hold the public trust.
50:59Ladies and gentlemen,
51:00you rose as cadets.
51:02You may now be seated
51:03as peace officers
51:04of the state of California.
51:06Your recruiting
51:16is never going
51:17to be perfect.
51:20You're going to get people
51:21who are essentially sound,
51:24whose character
51:25is basically good,
51:26whose judgment
51:26is pretty good,
51:28and who yet,
51:30in the face
51:31of all the demands
51:32of policing over time,
51:34are going to go wrong
51:34for one reason
51:36or another.
51:49By summer,
51:50the turmoil
51:51over the police scandal
51:52in Seagert, New Jersey
51:53had begun to ease,
51:55and the town
51:55started to rebuild
51:57its police department.
51:58Once again,
52:01welcome on board.
52:02Thank you very much.
52:02The official swearing in.
52:03As you know,
52:04Patrolman Nesbitt
52:05is one of the
52:06bright young policemen
52:07that we brought on board
52:08to hopefully upgrade
52:10our department.
52:11I repeat after me,
52:13I, Douglas Marshal Nesbitt.
52:14This July,
52:16the town hired
52:16its first new officer
52:18and promoted
52:19a patrolman
52:20to sergeant.
52:21One more, man.
52:22The police chief
52:25says he has tried
52:26to improve
52:27the background checks
52:28of new recruits,
52:29and the mayor
52:30says he now expects
52:32each officer
52:32to voluntarily submit
52:34to drug testing
52:35once a year.
52:37State your name.
52:39In August,
52:41Lieutenant Hindman
52:42pled guilty
52:42to distributing drugs
52:44and described in court
52:45how he had bought
52:46marijuana from his captain.
52:47Yes, sir.
52:48Tell the court about it, please.
52:49It'll be the last time
52:50that I bought some
52:52from you.
52:53He bought a quarter ounce,
52:54a quarter pound
52:56of marijuana
52:57into headquarters
52:58and used the
52:59headquarters scale.
53:02And right in
53:04our office,
53:05it was his and mine,
53:06combined,
53:08I purchased
53:09one ounce of marijuana
53:10in March of the night.
53:12You purchased
53:13one ounce of marijuana
53:14out of the quarter pound
53:15of marijuana
53:16that Captain Kevler
53:17retent.
53:18Yes, sir.
53:18Were you on duty
53:19at that time?
53:19I believe it was.
53:23Hindman could receive
53:24a prison sentence
53:25of up to five years.
53:28Sergeant Beaumont
53:29and Captain Cavallari
53:30are both out on bail.
53:32They are expected
53:33to be formally indicted
53:34soon for conspiracy
53:36to distribute drugs.
53:37Well, this town,
53:39surprisingly enough,
53:41and the council
53:41got behind
53:42the men here
53:44a hundred percent.
53:45We had hundreds
53:46of letters
53:47saying,
53:48we know
53:48it's not your fault.
53:51The men,
53:51we know,
53:52we have faith
53:52in the men still here.
53:54We're all behind you.
53:56Anything you need,
53:58you let us know.
53:59It's been very good.
54:01It's more open now.
54:03People are willing
54:04to talk about it.
54:06People are willing
54:06to say that
54:07Sigurd does not sit there
54:10just because
54:10this little one square mile town
54:11who's blocked off
54:12by a highway
54:13and the ocean
54:13on one side,
54:15you know,
54:15life does not go
54:16on the fast lane
54:17past us.
54:18We are part of it.
54:20It's here.
54:21Don't deny it.
54:22Only after
54:23such a situation occurs
54:25does the community
54:26become aware
54:27that police corruption
54:30and police integrity
54:31are important
54:31to the community.
54:33I mean,
54:33these are things
54:34that people
54:34don't pay attention to
54:35until something
54:36adverse occurs.
54:38And that,
54:39to me,
54:39is really extraordinary.
54:41If the criminal justice system
54:42doesn't work effectively,
54:44then no other system
54:46of government
54:46can work effectively.
54:49It can be anywhere
54:50in the world.
54:51Just change the address.
54:52They're all the same.
54:54And I think,
54:55if anything,
54:56it's taught
54:56the people
54:57in the town
54:57that we thought
55:00was once
55:00just a quiet,
55:02secure little
55:03oceanfront community.
55:04We're part of
55:05the big world now.
55:07It's here.
55:08And you better
55:09accept that.
55:27got it.
55:28They're all the same.
56:38Frontline is produced for the Documentary Consortium by WGBH Boston, which is solely responsible for its content.
56:46For videocassette information about this program, please write to this address.
56:56This is PBS.
57:05Next time on Frontline, the story of a manhunt.
57:10The target, Howard Marks, an Oxford-educated drug dealer who eluded police around the world.
57:15The hunter, an obsessed DEA agent who refused to give up.
57:23Listening to these voices was like listening to the heart of organized crime.
57:28Frontline investigates the dark world of an international drug ring in the hunt for Howard Marks.
57:33For a printed transcript of this or any Frontline program, send $5 to Journal Graphics Incorporated, 267 Broadway, New York, New York, 1007.
57:49To order by credit card, call 212-227-READ.
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